Skate or die (or both)

It doesn't seem likely that a new Cayucos skateboard park--which was scheduled to be constructed next to the town's cemetery--will be built anytime soon.

On Feb. 25, the Morro Bay City Council agreed to send the county parks and recreation department a letter that expressed dislike for the skateboard park's location, according to Mayor Janice Peters.

"There's no safe crossing over Highway 1, we're concerned about vandalism to the cemetery, and the county doesn't have funding for maintenance," she said.

The proposed skate park would take up 10,000 square feet of a two-acre park that's been named Norma Rose Park. The estimated cost of construction would be $1.2 million, and the park would cost up to $70,000 a year to maintain, according to Morro Bay City Councilman Bill Peirce.

"Given the financial status of the county, I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon," Peirce said.

And that's just how Cayucos-Morro Bay District Cemetery manager Jim Dority likes it.

"To me, it's like the ultimate graffiti, putting a skate park in front of a cemetery," he said.

But not everyone agrees with Dority's views.

"We'd like to get this thing built, but we're going to have to figure out where the money is going to come from," said Pete Jenny, SLO County Parks manager.